Mira Nova of Star Command
by Ranger-Nova
Summary: Mira-specific oneshots based on every episode of BLoSC, to coincide with the Tumblr rewatch.
1. The Adventure Begins

**A/N: **My own contribution to the rewatch fanworks will be oneshots about Mira, each based on an episode of BLoSC. They'll be in the same order as the rewatch schedule, though as I started late they won't coincide precisely with the viewing dates.

* * *

"Ranger Nova?"

Mira glanced up at the commander, and realised she'd been lingering in the briefing room. "Sir." She saluted stiffly.

"Dismissed." Nebula walked out, his pegleg echoing through the hall with each step, and Mira reluctantly followed. The other Rangers had already filed out the room, the briefing having ended several minutes ago. With her arms crossed over her chest, Mira trudged down the corridor and left the briefing room behind her.

_It's not fair!_ She frowned. After the attack on the LGM homeworld, she'd spent hours studying the defenses around Planet Z, looking for any weaknesses Star Command could exploit. If she could find something that might help them in their battle against Zurg and bring it up at the briefing, Commander Nebula was sure to be impressed - and Buzz too. Maybe then he'd be more willing to take her on as his new partner...

But when she'd proposed sending the Alpha-1 on a one-man mission to sneak through Zurg's defenses and take the emperor down stealthily, the commander had shot her down and outright rejected the idea. And Buzz... Well, he may have liked the idea, but instead of praising her initiative he'd tried to steal her thunder by offering to pilot the ship himself, even though it was _her_ idea. He'd even had the nerve to emphasize her royal title, as if that somehow proved she wasn't as qualified for the mission as he was!

_Ugh_. Mira slammed her fist into the palm of her hand. _Why won't anyone around here listen to me? _They didn't see her as the Space Ranger she was - all they saw was a princess. _And no one will even give me a chance to prove myself!_

She knew her plan would work. Zurg's defenses weren't equipped to detect ships as small as the Alpha-1, since conventional logic would lead most attackers to hit the planet with _large _ships. Who would send their smallest ship to bring down the galaxy's most wanted criminal?

_I could pull it off_. All she needed was the go-ahead from Nebula, and before long Zurg would be behind bars and the LGMs would have their Uni-mind back...

But the commander had been stuck at a desk too long and didn't have the guts to take risks anymore. _How can I make him see that I'm right?_ She sighed. At this rate, she'd never get to show anyone what she was really made of. She'd always be the princess.

Unless...

No, she quickly shook her head, she couldn't do it. That would be disobeying a direct order! Commander Nebula would have her head if she tried. But... if she succeeded... maybe he'd overlook it? After all, she'd read Buzz's file, and knew he'd done similar things in the past and been commended for it when his plans had worked. Surely it would be the same for her? Buzz and Nebula would have to be impressed when she returned to Star Command with Zurg in her custody.

_No one would be calling me princess then,_ she thought, a smirk crossing her face. Not even Buzz Lightyear had been able to bring Zurg in yet. If she succeeded where he'd failed... her career would be made!

She looked left and right to make sure no one was watching her. _All I have to do is slip the Alpha-1 off the station unnoticed, and get to Zurg Space without being caught._

How hard could it be?


	2. NOS-4-A2

The ship's engines droned ceaselessly in the background, the only sound breaking the silence of the 42's bridge. Rubbing her eyes, Mira looked at her screen again, but the readouts were all clear, just as they'd been the last time she'd checked them.

It was Team Lightyear's first patrol together. They'd been on several missions already, but those had been interesting assignments - robberies in progress, ambassadors to guard, raids on smuggling operations - this was just a routine patrol. A whole morning had already passed and the most exciting thing they'd come across was a stray comet. _And we're on patrol for the rest of the day unless something comes up. _Resting her chin in her hand, Mira sighed.

She glanced at her team. Back at the Academy, one of her instructors had said you never truly knew your partner until you'd been on a few long patrols or stakeouts with them. When they were facing villains or saving lives, they put on their toughest, most professional facade. But on patrol, your real personality would slip through as the hours of tedium wore down whatever fronts you hid behind. She wondered if it was true - she thought she knew her team well enough by now, but she couldn't say she was particularly close to any of them yet outside of a professional setting. They still seemed a little stiff and formal around her, preferring to call her by her title instead of her name.

Booster was sitting at his station when she studied him, his face stuffed with the last of the takeout they'd ordered at Cosmo's before they went on patrol. Oil from the fries dripped through his fingers, landing on his console and running down in shiny streaks. The young Jo-Adian grinned sheepishly and hastily wiped the grease with his free hand, leaving a sticky smear behind, and shoved the rest of the fries into his mouth.

Mira smiled. Booster was a sweet guy, still full of childish innocence and enthusiasm. She'd grown quite fond of him in the short time they'd been working together, finding in him a loyal and gentle-hearted friend. She looked forward to getting to know him better.

Opposite Booster was XR, who'd stopped checking his readout long ago and had his face buried in a scandalous-looking magazine. Buzz had already chastised him twice for not paying attention, but every time their captain looked away XR brought out the magazine again. Patrols clearly didn't suit the robot, whose attention span seemed to be as short as he was.

Mira had been doubtful of him when she first heard he'd been assigned to the team. Sure, he'd played his part well when they were on Planet Z fighting Zurg, but the only reason he'd been there in the first place was because he and Booster had been fooling around on 42 without authorisation. She didn't think the wisecracking robot was dependable enough to be a member of Star Command's most prestigious team.

But Booster had already become fast friends with him, and Buzz seemed to feel he had potential. After a few missions together, Mira wasn't sure yet if she shared her captain's belief, but she had to admit XR had grown on her and there was never a dull moment when he was around.

"Buzz." Commander Nebula's face suddenly appeared on the screen.

"Yes, Commander?"

"We've just received an anonymous tip that Zurg's gonna hijack a freighter near the sector you're patrolling. I want you to check it out."

"Ten-four, Sir. We're on our way."

Mira grinned. _It's about time we had some action!_


	3. The Torque Armada

A quick inspection showed the buoy was in perfect working order, and Mira slipped her head back out. She flew on to the next buoy, glancing around as she did so. Booster and XR were working nearby, but Buzz was nowhere in sight. After Rocket's gloating, he'd left to work at the far end of Tanker Alley, well away from his team.

_I guess he just wants to be alone for awhile. _Mira stuck her head through the buoy and checked the internal components. Several parts seemed out of alignment, so she set to work straightening them.

_I wish there was something I could say to help him. _As soon as Rocket had left, she'd tried to talk to Buzz, but her captain wasn't the sort of man who liked sharing his feelings. With a little poking she'd gotten him to open up some, but the angry rant he'd gone on wasn't quite what she'd been looking for. _I don't think I helped much. _If anything, she'd just made him feel worse.

The buoy hummed to life. Mira pulled herself out and scanned the area. Still no sign of Buzz. _I can't really blame him for being upset. _She was craving action too, and tracking Torque certainly held more appeal than traffic duty. On top of that, she sensed there was history between Buzz and Rocket, a rivalry that made Buzz smart all the more at being forced to stand by while the other Ranger got the exciting assignment.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. "Hey, Mira?"

"Yeah, XR?" She looked down at her robotic teammate.

He twiddled his thumbs. "We have a problem."

"Is Booster stuck again?" Mira folded her arms. It would be the second time that hour Booster had gotten stuck in one of the buoys.

"...Well, yes, but that's not our only problem." XR leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Have you seen Buzz?"

Mira shrugged. "Not since he left, why?"

"That's just my point. He's disappeared! I tried to check in with him - no response! I tried all frequencies, and all I got was static."

Chewing her lip, Mira threw a glance in the direction she'd last seen Buzz heading. Was he just too moody to answer his wristcom, or was something wrong?

"Hey, guys?" came a muffled shout. Booster was beside one of the buoys, trying to pull part of it off his head.

Mira turned back to XR. "Look, let's get Booster free, then we'll go find Buzz. He must be around here somewhere. He probably just wants some time alone to mull things over."

"What's to mull over?" XR asked. "Rocket got to go after Torque and we didn't. Big deal. It's not like he's the only criminal out there - Buzz'll get other chances to show off."

Mira shook her head. "It's not just about showing off, XR. Buzz... His job is everything to him. He lives for it. Things like this hurt him a lot more than they hurt us. We're just rookies, so it's no big deal if we don't always get the best assignments. I mean, if we weren't on Buzz's team, we'd probably have traffic duty every week. But for Buzz to be stuck out here when Torque's on the loose... It's like when you keep a wild bird caged up."

"Wait, so you're saying Buzz is a bird now?" XR scratched his dome.

"No," sighed Mira. "I'm saying he's feeling like he's being held back, and overlooked... He just needs some space for awhile."

"Whatever," shrugged the robot, raising an eyebrow. "When did you become the team shrink, Mira?"

She blushed. "I dunno, I've just always been very aware of other people's emotions. Maybe it's a Tangean thing. Everyone has to be calm and dignified 24/7 at the palace, so you learn to read subtle signs if you want to know what someone's really feeling."

"Guys..."

"Oops, sorry! We're coming, Booster!" she called, jetting towards the Jo-Adian. "Keep pulling! If you got into that you must be able to get out!"

XR followed her. "I still think there's something fishy going on," he confided. "Sure, maybe Buzz wants to be alone, but he would have answered my calls - it's standard procedure to check in at regular intervals when a teammate is out of visual range."

Mira gave a tug on the piece of buoy attached to Booster and felt it slide. "Maybe he never got your calls. He could be too far out to receive radio signals - Tanker Alley does cover a larger area."

"I think I can pull it off now!" Booster announced. "I almost got it... Just a little further..."

"Then why didn't he tell us he would be out of comm range?" XR asked Mira. "I don't get it. It's not like Buzz to just leave without checking in."

"Holy pulsars!" Booster strained and finally pulled himself free. "Buzz might be in trouble!"

"I've got news for you, Jumbo." Mira whipped around, her eyes widening when she saw who'd spoken. "He's not the only one."

_Craters! _She stared at the thugs, stunned by the appearance of multiple Torques. What bothered her even more was that she hadn't noticed their approach. _What were you thinking, Mira? You're a Space Ranger! You're supposed to be alert! _Instead she'd been psychoanalysing her captain. _What good is a "team shrink" if she lets her team get killed because she wasn't paying attention? _

And get killed they well might, judging by the malicious gleam in Torque's eyes...


	4. Gravitina

She'd tried to sound confident when Buzz instructed her to buy Star Command some time until he could find the cause of the asteroid attacks, but that confidence had faded the moment Buzz cut the transmission. Mira stared at the empty captain's chair to her left. She was in charge now. She, Mira Nova, had to defend Star Command until Buzz got back. She tried to hold her head up proudly. Wasn't this the sort of assignment she'd been wanting? A chance to prove herself? So why was she so nervous?

"Got any ideas, Mira?" Booster asked.

Ideas? Ideas, right! They had to do something to take the strain off the repulsar field. Sooner or later it would give out, and Star Command would be smashed to bits. Mira turned to Booster, forcing a smile. "Uh, well, you know, I-I'm sure I'll think of something. I mean, come on, it's not like we haven't faced worse situations than this before."

"Yeah." Booster's ears drooped. "But I wish Buzz were here..."

_Me too. _"I can handle this." Wiping her forehead, she looked back at the asteroids pelting the station's repulsar field. Already a shell-like covering of rocks had formed around Star Command, ready to cave in upon the station the moment the field went down. _What do I do? What would Buzz do? _

She frowned in frustration. Buzz had had twenty years of experience. She was just a rookie! How was she supposed to think like him? Buzz would find a way to save Star Command. All she seemed able to do was stare hopelessly at the asteroids hitting the repulsar field.

The asteroids... Of course! "Booster!" She spun around. "Don't those asteroids look kind of like... like a shell? They fit together into a cohesive structure!"

Booster considered this. "Yeah, I guess, but how does that help us?"

"Don't you see - if we fuse them together, we could create a protective shield against the other asteroids! It should hold long enough for Star Command to evacuate!" She leaned back, pleased with her own ingenuity.

"Oh, yeah, great idea!" nodded Booster. "Let's tell the commander!"

The commander... right. Her new-found confidence vanished. "W-Well, uh, we-we... Y-Yeah, I guess we should... tell him..." She wasn't entirely sure he'd be as thrilled with her plan as Booster was. Commander Nebula could be a very intimidating man, and he wasn't afraid to shoot down any ideas he found holes in. _This is my first big assignment! If I mess it up in front of the commander, I'll never live it down! _But if she did nothing, the lives of everyone on Star Command were at risk. _Craters. Buzz, where are you when I need you?_

Taking a deep breath, she told Booster to open a channel to Star Command.


	5. XL

Sticking your hand into someone else's brain wasn't a very pleasant experience. It probably wasn't regulation either. But hey, it got them the information they needed, didn't it? Mira wiped her hands clean in 42's cramped bathroom, rubbing a damp towel over her face to remove the stink of Trade World. Somewhere on the bridge, Booster would be doing preflight checks so they could head back to Star Command.

She thought back on their assignment. Sure, if they'd offered Crumford enough cash, it probably would have had the same effect, but that was expensive. And if she was honest with herself, she'd been a little miffed at the rat-like alien for refusing to talk to anyone except Buzz. She had nothing but respect for her captain, but sometimes even she got tired of being in his shadow. You'd think he was the only Space Ranger in the whole galaxy! Okay, he was far and away the best, so he'd definitely earned his fame, but _come on_. There were other Rangers who deserved notice too - like her!

Stepping out the bathroom, she allowed herself a smile. Buzz _had_ told her she'd done a good job when she reported in to him with XL's name, though. That counted for something, right? And that robo-menace was still out there, so there were still plenty of opportunities to earn recognition.

And if that didn't work out, there was the Rhizomian security testing in a few weeks. According to the information they'd been given by the Rhizomian government, no one had been able to penetrate their defense system. Yet.

_Ha, that'll change when I get a shot at it._ She entered the bridge, nodding to Booster and taking her station. Checking all the readouts to make sure everything was in order, she fired up the engines and pulled the throttle back. _I won't be in Buzz's shadow forever._ Some day her talents would be recognised and she'd be the next Pride of Star Command.

The ship launched, taking them up past the skyscrapers and traffic and into the clouds. She leaned back, her arms folded behind her head.

That was her destiny, right?


	6. Little Secrets

The descriptions she'd heard didn't do the planet justice.

Mira stared at the lush, vivid landscape before them, a jungle unlike any she'd ever seen before. If you could imagine a plant, it was there. Every colour, every shape, every size - Rhizome had it. And some of them were moving as if they had minds of their own! She gaped in wonder, rapturously inhaling the floral scents carried by the breeze.

Memories stirred within her; a clandestine trip to the surface, a world so different from the one she'd grown up in, so full of wonders. She found herself reliving the same giddy feelings she'd felt that day. She was a city person, through and through - no outdoor living for her, thank you very much. She liked her luxuries too much. But there'd been something so magical about that first trip away from the palace that it made her want to race through this jungle like she was fifteen again, without a care in the world and on the hunt for adventure.

But of course she couldn't. She was a Ranger now, visiting Rhizome on assignment. She had responsibilities, and she was already living the greatest adventure of her life.

Yet sometimes, in moments like these, she found herself wishing she could go back to those earlier times. When her father wasn't angry with her for joining Star Command, when Romac was still in her life... and even earlier than that, when her mother was still there to hold her in her arms and tuck her into bed every night.

But times changed, and there was nothing you could do but change with them.

Sometimes, though, if you were lucky, you could let yourself slip back, if only for a moment, and feel like you were living it all again.

She shut her eyes and took another deep breath.


End file.
